MARSHALL - Hundreds of people showed up to support the Marshall National Guard Battery A and eat during the Sons of the American Legion chili and potato soup feed Saturday at the Marshall Armory.

"It's the first time that we've done one of these," said Hal Meyer, 7th District Commander and adviser and financial officer for the local Sons of the American Legion, so they weren't sure what to expect.

He said that about 300 people had come through by 6 p.m. One person bought two tickets and gave a $100 donation, Meyer said, and added he figured some folks had bought tickets just as a way to donate to the troops and weren't planning to come eat.

"We had lots of people volunteer time and ingredients," Meyer said, adding that Duane Stangeland, Mark Esping and Cheri Novak cooked the food and others donated quite a bit.

Proceeds will benefit the troops.

"This is the second time they'll be deployed," Meyer said. "There's only 28 veterans going, the rest are new. The hometown is very proud of them."

Meyer and Staff Sgt. Jeff Reisdorfer said the troops will leave in mid-April for Texas to train at Ft. Hood, and then leave for Iraq from there.

Reisdorfer is a recruiter and career counselor for the unit and knows the troops.

"All of these are post-9/11 people," he said, adding they knew what they were getting into when they signed up. "They know their odds of getting deployed are good. They knew they were joining a unit that had been deployed in the past."

Not all members of Battery A are from Marshall, Reisdorfer said, many come from surrounding communities.

"They volunteered to do it," he said, and joined Battery A because of "the reputation they have from their last deployment.

"What sets the National Guard apart from all other military branches is community," Reisdorfer said, gesturing to the crowd at the Armory.

He and Meyer pointed out the National Guard can be called up at any time for any reason, from combat to cleaning up after a flood. And the troops can't get their hands in the air fast enough to volunteer when they know they're needed, Meyer said.

The Patriot Guard Riders know what the troops do, that's why 13 of them showed up for the Legion's feed.

"As far as the Patriot Guard, we are a non-political organization and we are here to support the troops. Never again should they be leaving or coming home without receiving the recognition they deserve for the job that they do for us," said Alan Peterson, Ride Captain of the Marshall Sector of the Patriot Guard.

Also attending was Larry Ripplinger, Detachment Historian for the Sons of the American Legion.

"We're there to help and support the troops in any way we can," Ripplinger said, adding the Detachment of Minnesota is non-political. "We're there to support the American Legion and the American Legion families."

Ripplinger is from Dalton and heard about the feed from Meyer, who invited him and others to come.

"I want to really thank the Patriot Riders and the district officers for coming. They're busy," Meyer said. "I'm glad to see all these people here; some traveled 200 miles."